My 6 Minutes and 9 Seconds of Fame

When the Huffington Post emailed me yesterday to tell my article 4 Truths About Our Post-Baby Bodies was trending and they wanted to interview me on HuffPost Live this morning, I basically freaked out. I felt like I’d skipped to the front of the line for the World’s Most Mind-Blowing Roller Coaster, got thrown into the very front car and was heading down that first steep hill into a never-ending loop-de-loop. Was I thrilled? Yes. Did I feel like throwing up? Absolutely. For the rest of the day.

While the attention is exciting, what’s really phenomenal is the amazing response the piece is receiving. It’s so meaningful to connect with so many moms out there who not only struggle with their body image after baby, but also discover a whole new beautiful, strong woman in themselves. There’s so much empowerment and inspiration in that, so thank you all for sharing.

Secondly, if you’re a mom, the thing about having 6 minutes and 9 seconds of fame is that you still have to make school lunches. Which I did the night before. And I showered the night before. And picked out my clothes the night before. And I visualized myself being cool and collected upon waking. Ha. Let me tell you, it was Crazy Town around here this morning. Being on the west coast, the interview was scheduled for 8:05 a.m. with me being ready and online around 7:57 a.m. This also happens to be the time my toddler is wandering the house naked and the big girls need to be in the car on their way to school. Thank goodness for carpool. Or really, thank goodness for Billy who was driving this morning. Other than the dreaded Witching Hour, those minutes before the girls tumble out the door are the most stressful. One kid was asking me for the hot-glue gun, another was going nuts trying to find a particular skirt (she found it then decided not to wear it) and the toddler was simply yelling into the void hoping someone, anyone, would deliver her from her crib, give her some milk and include her in the melee. A super, duper thank you to my husband, Josh, for taking over toddler herding duties this morning.

Meanwhile, the morning dawned grey, not the most flattering light for a live interview, I woke up with a big zit on my chin and I couldn’t figure out the best angle for my laptop camera that would truly capture my, you know, inner essence. When it was finally go time, my mouth went dry, I swallowed the butterflies as best I could and wiggled my feet in my favorite sheepskin slippers, which were tucked under the desk, out of sight. Then mom went live.

Finally, I’d love to hear from you — what your response is to the article, how you feel about your mama body and any advice or inspiration you’d like to share. You can leave a comment here, on my Facebook page or at the bottom of the piece on the Huffington Post.